Automatic railway gate



P. PARNICKY AUTOMATIC RAILWAY GATE Filed Dec. 51, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1P. PARNICKY AUTOMATIC RAILWAY GATE 2 Sheets-Shet 2 Filed Dec. 31, 1923 5vwcmfoz; PAUL PAHNICKY,

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Patented Dec. 23, 1924.

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PAUL PAR-NICKY, OF KENMORE, OHIO, ASSIGNQR OF ONE-HALF TO PETER GABALACAND ONE-FOURTH TO MIKE KANURITZ, BOTH OF AKRON, OHIO.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY GATE.

Application filed December 31, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL PARNICKY, a subject of Yugoslavia, residing atKenmore, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Railway Gates, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in automatic railway gates, andmore particularly to a turnstile type of horizontally rotatable gate inassociation with mechanism preferably gearing said gate directly toactuating levers for automatically open ing and closing the same. Theobject of my invention is the provision of a simple, cheap and efficienttemporary barrier of traffic that is not liable to get out of order andmay be operated directly by elemental mechanical means promptly to closea highway and reopen the same upon the approach and departure,respectively, of a train.

Preferably such gates are operated in pairs in conjunction with one ormore railway tracks at the highway or street intersections. and moreoften with double tracks. hence I shall describe my invention as appliedto a double track railway equipped upon either side with twohorizontally swinging gates connected for actuation by the improvedmechanism of my invention. It will be obvious that one or more railwaytracks may be thus protected, but reference to the typical embodiment ofmy improvements herein set forth will explain the structural featuresand principles of operation without further and more comprehensivedescription.

Making preliminary reference to the apparatus herein more fullydescribed and claimed, I may explain that two gates, centrally pivotedwithin the roadway or street and adapted to swing transversely thereofin unison, are connected by suitable gearing for actuation by distantlypositioned controlling levers associated with both lines of a doubletrack railway. Thus the gates are adapted to be positively actuatedautomatically for the protection of passing trafiic.

The details of construction and operation may best be p ain y ma ingref- Serial No. 683,659.

erence to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a plan view of the safeguarded railway tracks at a highwaycrossing; said tracks being broken away at the distant operatingpositions and the gates swung to their open position clear of traflic,

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on line 2-2, Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail illustrating in full and dotted lines theoperating lever and its mode of actuation,

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on line 4 4, Fig. 3,

Figs. 5 and 6, respectively, are fragmentary details illustrating thedetent mechanism for the closed gate,

Fig. 7 is a view in elevation showing the side posts and swinging gate.Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail illustrating the operating lever mechanismwith the preferred spring actuating means duplicated at each operativeposition; Figs. 9 and 10 are fragmentary views of an operating lever andspring; Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail of the bell and signal lamp, andFig. 12 is a transverse section on line 1212.

Throughout the several figures of the drawings I have employed the samecharacter of reference to indicate similar parts.

Referring first to Fig. 1 the parallel up and down lines of railwaytrack, a, b, will be recognized as shown at a highway crossing 0; theplanking of said highway being centrally broken away to show actuatinggearing, while the lines of track are broken away on either hand toindicate the distant operating positions, say approximately a half mileon either side of the highway crossing.

The crossing itself is guarded by two opposing gates d, 03 centrallypivoted upon standards ewhich mount bells or gongs fand signal lamps g,respectively. These gates preferably are adapted to swing turnstilefashion in clockwise direction for reasons that appear below; beingrespectively mounted upon standards d, d terminating in beveled gears d,cl". These latter members are engaged respectively by the coactingbeveled gears it, It terminally mounted upon the transverse ha h and'ntenne levers 7', 7c are mounted at quadrature upon the short shafts Z,Z so that when the levers 7c are upright the levers j are in theirinoperative or downturned positions. This results from the fact that thebeveled gears Z, respectively provided on the shafts I at at the distantoperative positions and controlled by said levers, are in mesh with thegears 'll, thereby interconnecting the levers of the up and down trackswith each other and with the gates through the means defined above andillustrated in-the drawings.

It will be understood that with the passing of a car wheel m the lever7' will be depressed from its full line to its dotted line position.shown'upon the right (Fig. 8),

while the coacting lever 7r, shown at the left in dotted lines, will beelevated to its upright dotted line position in association with theadjacent track, since these two levers are in quadrature. This actuationof the operating lever is immediately communicated through the shaftsand beveled-gearing to the gates cl, (Z, which will be swungsimultaneously to their closed positions transversely of the roadway.The ends of the gates respectively engage the posts a and the latches 0upon the posts a. These latter are pivoted at 0' and serve as detentsresiliently held by the springs 0 to prevent the accidental opening ofthe gates, as shown by the fragmentary views, Figs. 5 and 6.

lVith the described system of interconnected levers, it will beappreciated that both closing levers j will be downturned when the gatesare closed, so that a train approaching on the opposite track will notactuate such levers and the associated gearing. However, both levers areturned to their upright positions and as soon as the flange of thelocomotive wheel m engages the lever it the positions of the levers willbe reversed, while the gearing will be ac tuated immediately to openboth gates and free'the crossing for traflic. Two automobiles 7 2, p areshown in waiting position, Fig. 1. away from which the gates will beswung when in closed position, i.- e.. in counter clockwise direction.Thus the presence of the standards and signals will serve to warn thedrivers of the crossing and cause them to slow down oeven when the gatesare'open, while said gates immediately ever, in practice it ispreferable to modify that system by certain further improvements whichare shown in the latter figures of the drawings and particularly inFigs. 8. 9 and 10, relating to the mounting of the operating levers bymeans of actuating springs interposed between said levers and theirrespective shafts. Moreover, it is desirable to duplicate such levers inorder to:

provide against accident and insure the actuation of the gates withgreater certainty and dispatch.

Referring to the enlarged Fig. 8, it will be observed that two sets ofoperating levers j. j and 7c, 7", respectively mounted in quad.- rature,set by set, are shown at the given operative position. therebyindicating that a plurality of such levers spaced at short distancesfrom each other are provided, as desired. to insurecertainty ofoperation. In addition, the levers preferably are provided withactuating springs 1" interposed between said levers and their shafts, sothat the sudden torque, otherwise imparted to the shaft by the blow of arapidly movin wheel or wheels, will be gradually applied t rough themedium of the springs and the plurality of levers thus provided. It willbe appreciated that the upstanding levers 7' or is will be successivelydepressed by the car wheels until they have exerted sufficient torqueupon the shafting to close or open the gates and said levers will thenlie parallel with the rail. Otherwise, the operation of the system aspreviously described obtains as to the modified and preferred form setforth. above.

Having now described apparatus em. bodying my invention and adapted forthe practice thereof in its preferred form, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following:

1. The herein described means operatingtraffic-control apparatus, thecombination with paired lever members mounted approximately atquadrature upon a' common shaft and associated with opposing tracks, ofmechanical actuating means, comprising shafts and gearing directlyconnected j with said levers and traflic-control apparatus associatedwith said actuating means, substantially asset forth.

2. The her n de ri ed for viper for I ating traffic-control apparatus,comprising a plurality of sets of paired lever members mountedapproximately at quadrature upon a common shaft; each lever of a setbeing associated wit-h opposing tracks and the sets being respectivelypositioned at a suitable distance from each other upon said tracks,mechanical actuating means comprising shafts and gearing interconnectingsaid levers, and traffic-control apparatus operatively associated withsaid actuating means, substantially as set forth.

The herein described system of automatic railway gates, comprising aplurality of sets of paired lever members mounted. approximately atquadrature upon a common shaft; each lever of set being associated withopposing tracks and the sets being respectively positioned at a distanceon either side of the gates, of pivoted gates oppositely disposed at acrossing of said tracks, and gearing operatively connecting the leversand the gates for actuation in a unitary system, substantially as setforth.

4. The herein described automatic gate for highways, comprising anintermediate standard, a barrier member mounted intermediately thereonto swing approximately through an arc of 90, a shaft connected toactuate said member and associated shafting and gears for actuating thebarrier member from a distance, substantially as set forth.

' 5. The herein described system of automatic railway gates, comprisingopposing intermediate standards positioned at either side of a railwaycrossing, barrier members mounted at mid-length thereon respectively,shafts connected to each and adapted to swing said members approximatelythrough arcs of 90, a plurality of sets of paired lever members mountedapproxin'iately at quadrature upon common shafts respectively; eachlever of a set being associated with opposing tracks and the sets beingrespectively positioned equidistant along opposing tracks With respectto the crossing, and gearing operatively connecting the levers and theshafts of said barriers for automatically operating the latter,substantially as set forth.

6. The herein described means for operating trailic-control apparatus,comprising the combination with a plurality of associated levers inco-acting sets mounted in duplicate sets of two adjacent to a railwaytrack, of mechanical actuating means connected for independent actuationby each of said duplicated levers, and traffic-control apparatusassociated with said actuating means substantially as set forth.

7. The herein described system of automatic 'ailway gates, comprising aplurality of sets of paired lever members mounted approximately atquadrature pair by pair upon common shafts; each lever of a set beingassociated with opposing tracks and the sets being respectivelypositioned at a distance on either side of the gates, springconnectingmeans interposed between each lever and its shaft, pivoted gatesoppositely disposed at a crossing of said tracks, and gearingoperatively connecting all of the levers and the gates for actuation ina unitary system, substantially as set forth.

In automatic actuating apparatus for railway tracks, the combinationwith a plurality of paired lever members mounted pair by pairapproximately at quadrature; said levers being associated in co-actingsets respectively with the rails of opposing tracks, and springsconnecting the levers with their respective shafts, substantially as setforth.

5-). In. automatic actuating apparatus for railway tracks, thecombination with a plurality of paired lever members mounted pair bypair approximately at quadrature in co-acting sets, shafts and gearingconnecting said levers for actuation in unison, springs connecting thelovers with their respective shafts for resilient actuation thereof;said levers being adapted for association respectively with the rails ofopposing tracks, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I do now affix my signature.

PAUL PARNICKY.

